I’ve never seen this trick before, but I got a good laugh out of it, and thought I’d share. After agent Dorothy Williams Havens, in Clarksville, TN, watched interest wane on her listing of a circa 1876 Italianate home, she decided to grab renewed attention — and maybe alleviate some fears — by placing a rider atop her real estate sign that says, “Not Haunted.” It even has a cute, friendly little ghost on it, which is the icing on the cake for me.

Apparently, the ploy has worked. In an article that, frankly, at times, reads like an article from the satirical magazine, The Onion, buyers express renewed interest and some relief, perhaps, that there isn’t a ghost in the place. One buyer noted, after a tour, “I looked to see if the curtains were moving or anything spooky was going on and saw nothing of the sort.” Some curtains below, if you want to look for yourself:

This haunted house thing is a very real issue for some buyers. I dealt with it as a real estate agent specializing in historic homes, and I tackled this topic years ago in this article, Marketing “Haunted” Houses & Their Ghosts. Anyway, this historic house for sale ($229,000) in Tennessee doesn’t even look haunted. It’s actually pretty amazing inside, with renovated, bright interiors, and a touch of some nice original floors. Check out the photos below, or the listing here.

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